We all have enemies. Life would be kind of boring if it wasn't for a little unhealthy competition, right? Our enemies take the form of people who are awfully jealous of us but could never admit it. Because they're incapable of ever achieving your level of success or happiness, they try to lower you to their bottomless pit of self-loathing and disgust. Call is basic psychology. On the other hand, perhaps your enemy is someone who beats you at every turn, being one step ahead of you every time. Your enemies could be those close to you, without you even realising. In most cases, however, your enemies are pretty apparent, as they make your life a living hell.

Today's Friday Focus is a character building exercise, something which we like to do often. It is no doubt that our characters would have enemies, whether it be someone from their past or a current adversary who causes your character much grief. Let us know in the comments section who your character's greatest enemy is, whether it be an individual, an organisation or an entire faction. We don't like to be haters here at SWTOR-RP, but lets be real: this is Star Wars, and as roleplayers, we thrive for conflict.

The news feed is the heart, Force-ghostly soul and never-fulfilled Hutt's stomach of SWTOR-RP. It's where we share some of SWTOR's best roleplaying stories, events, in-character news, news about SWTOR itself and spotlights on the members and guilds of the SWTOR roleplaying community. As we've said, the news feed's appetite is as large as a Hutt's. It must be filled and filled it will be!

We've had another great year of storytelling, but the news feed of 2017 is receiving an extra and much-needed boost! We're super excited to announce our latest additions to the writing team here at SWTOR-RP: Ameliah, Neckbone, Gebshnar and Xani. Continue below as we tell you their Star Wars and SWTOR stories.

Keep your sniper rifles focused on, your lightsabers pointed at and the hyperspace coordinates of your guild capital ships locked in to the news feed of SWTOR-RP in 2017 with brand new content!

Welcome to the fifth edition of Worlds of The Old Republic. Nine worlds in The Old Republic have been covered so far in this series. If you wish to possess a better understanding of what each of these worlds have to offer, be sure to check out the previous four editions which can be found amongst the other countless articles here at SWTOR-RP. In our previous edition of Worlds of The Old Republic, the focus was on worlds associated with the Hutts -- Hutta, Nar Shaddaa, and Quesh. This time around, the spotlight is on the Independents. Though there are more than three worlds in the game that are independently aligned, the fifth edition of the series looks at Tatooine, Taris, and Voss. Just because these worlds aren't associated with either of the two factions, the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire, it does not mean that they don't have their own dilemmas to deal with.

Welcome to the fourth edition of Worlds of the Old Republic. For viewers who are new to the series, Worlds of the Old Republic covers the planets in The Old Republic. Parts I, II and III have already covered a number of these worlds, so be sure to check them out. Two worlds associated with the Jedi made it to the spotlight in Part III, consisting of Tython, the homeworld of the Jedi, and Ilum, the home of the Adegan Crystals. Part IV takes a step into the wild side, covering three worlds engulfed with crime lords, spice and smuggling. Hutta, Nar Shaddaa and Quesh all share a similarity -- the Hutts hold a share of power and control over each of the worlds. Smugglers rejoice as this is your territory. Keep your blasters holstered and give yourselves a break from the Sabaac tables by taking a journey through some of the worlds featured in The Old Republic that you will most likely call home.

This article is not a trap, so put your blasters and your lightsabers away. Star Wars is filled with famous one-liners, many of which have made their way into our everyday lives. We sometimes use these quotes without even realising, just like when you tell a good friend of yours not to try, but to do, and to give it everything they've got! They're the famous words of Yoda, are they not? How often do you find yourself uttering the words, "I've got a bad feeling about this," not long before entering into an awkward situation? OK, maybe not that often, but you get the point.

Famous quotes from Star Wars are not limited to the movies. The novels and games based on Star Wars have produced countless quotes themselves. Kreia from Knights of the Old Republic II was never short of cryptic advice for the Jedi Exile, nor was Qui-Gon short of using metaphors and analogies to advise his followers. Sort through your favourites from all forms of media for Star Wars, and let us know what your all time favourite quotes are in this Force Reflection. Post as many as you like in the comments section.

Welcome to the third edition of Worlds of the Old Republic. In Part II, we ventured down the dark path as we looked at two worlds of the Sith -- Korriban and Dromund Kaas. Part III of the series of articles based on the worlds in The Old Republic focuses on the opposites of the two Sith worlds. We clap our hands twice and the lights turn on as we bask ourselves in a luminous glow on the planets Tython and Ilum. Though both worlds were originally occupied by the Jedi at some point, events in The Old Republic add a slight twist. Tython is under the control of the Jedi, chosen as their new sanctuary after the catastrophe dubbed the Sacking of Coruscant. Ilum on the other hand has not served a purpose of solitude but a place of conflict. With the crystal caves located on Ilum supplying Jedi with a vital material for the construction of their lightsabers, the Sith have gained interest in the planet and have begun excavations. The question remains: is it the crystal caves that the Sith give pursuit to? Or perhaps something else of far greater value?

In an article miniseries based on Daniel Wallace's instruction book for students of the Jedi Order – The Jedi Path – we've taken you through some of the lessons taught to Initiates and Padawans, as well as discussing some of the roles available to Jedi talented enough to make it to the rank of Jedi Knight. The Jedi Path: Teachings of the Jedi Order has acted as a guide for roleplayers who wish to learn more about the lore covering the different ranks within the Jedi Order, exclusively on SWTOR-RP.

Note that most of the knowledge extracted from the book has been of the teachings after the Ruusan Reformation – an event which occurred much later in the Star Wars timeline than the events which take place in The Old Republic. However, any major differences in the structure of the Order have been pointed out in Parts I through IV so far of the miniseries, with the major difference being the manner in which the Jedi Trials are carried out. The Jedi Code, teachings of Initiates and Padawans, and the different roles of the Jedi Knights discussed in Part IV can be said to be very much the same in the era of The Old Republic, as there is no evidence to the contrary.

In Part V, we conclude the miniseries with some additional Force powers and lightsaber techniques available for Jedi Knights to learn. We will dabble in both Jedi recruitment and a brief history of the Sith, we learn what it means to take on a Padawan learner, what it takes to become a Master and Grand Master of the Jedi Order, and at the end of a Jedi's career, becoming "one" with the Force.

Learning Alter abilities as a Jedi Knight is a part of the fundamental teachings of that rank, as Jedi Seer Sabla-Mandibu states that without the Alter abilities, a Jedi is like a "mud limpet" – perceiving the world around them but unable to touch it. Telekinesis is one of the most commonly used abilities by Jedi Knights. To learn this ability, Jedi are instructed to enter the Temple's Kuddaka chamber where the Muntuur Stones are kept. Each stone weighs several tons, and if a Jedi Knight can lift at least one of these stones, it is seen as a step in the right direction to mastery of Telekinesis. It is noted that Grand Master Fae Coven is capable of lifting all six stones after entering a deep state of meditation, whilst Yoda after 700 years of age can only lift five.

The path of a Jedi during their years as an Initiate and Padawan learner is difficult and demanding to say the least. In Parts I, II, and III of The Jedi Path: Teachings of the Jedi Order, we've taken you through some of the activities that an Initiate and Padawan may have to partake in to progress through the ranks. After years of endless training and tutoring by senior peers, a Jedi Padawan must pass the Jedi Trials in order to obtain the rank of Jedi Knight. However, the learning does not end there. In The Jedi Path, a Jedi lore guide written by Daniel Wallace, we learn from the perspective of Grand Master Fae Coven that there are more Knights than any other rank in the Jedi Order, and for good reason. Demands for the services of the Jedi are high, as the Order serves to protect all living beings, especially those aligned with the Galactic Republic. The galaxy is a large place, and crime fills every corner of known space.

In Part IV of the article miniseries based on Daniel Wallace's novel aimed at students of the Jedi and the Force, we look at the different roles of a Jedi Knight. They are no different to that seen in Knights of the Old Republic, though each role within the rank of Knight is much deeper than how it is depicted in BioWare's RPG. The Jedi Guardian, Jedi Consular, and Jedi Sentinal are very much in existence in Jedi lore, and we now get to find out their true roles and duties within the Jedi Order. Before we get started though, know that the purpose of this article is to serve as a knowledge base for those who wish to take on the role of a Jedi in The Old Republic. Your roleplaying endeavours should be as seamless as a battle droid conveyor belt (when R2 and 3PO aren't getting in the way of things), and if this miniseries helps you do just that, we can yell out in our best Borat impersonation voice, "Success!"

The bond between soul mates can be everlasting -- through sickness and through health, through life and death. The understanding, love and loyalty which forms through such bonds is said to be eternal. Only the harshest and most extreme circumstances, though rare, could ever destroy the attachment. In the world of Star Wars, we have seen bonds form and break. Some have rekindled and others were considered truly lost. The bond between the Jedi Exile and Kreia in the Knights of the Old Republic II, created through the force, came to a dark and epic end. Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi were separated due to Anakin's misguided thoughts and his undeniable love for Padmé. On the contrary, we have the bond between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn. It was not resentment or betrayal that separated the two; it was the swift blow of death that ended the living bond between Padawan and Master. Qui-Gon Jinn's life was prematurely taken from him by Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Though Qui-Gon's life faltered, memories of what the two men shared lived on through the Force and in Obi-Wan Kenobi. It is those kind of memories that make the experiences shared between a Padawan and Master unforgettable. In The Old Republic, players will have the opportunity play either role. Padawan or Master? The choice is yours. This article will highlight the ways and experiences of a Jedi Padawan and Master, from the point of promotion from a Jedi Initiate, to the tests of the Jedi Trials.

If you are of the dark side of the force, perhaps some force lightning would be more fitting at the end of that combative combination. If you were a practitioner of a lightsaber form other than the acrobatic form, Ataru, then perhaps you would rather a more defensive style, such as Soresu.

During the period of the Old Republic, the time in which The Old Republic takes place, six forms of lightsaber combat existed, adopted by both the Jedi and the Sith. Each form specialises in different aspects of movement, ranging from the fundamentals of all forms and basic attacks, to lightsaber versus lightsaber focus, tight and defensive movements, and acrobatics. The Jedi and Sith decide which form to utilise for a number of reasons, ranging from personal preference, stature, emotion, and a form which will perform well against the current enemy of either side.

Lightsaber forms are not simply a matter of choosing and practicing. Other forms of lightsaber combat were introduced over the thousands of years in which the Jedi and Sith existed. Some of these forms were merged, some were adopted by existing forms, and others became independant. Additionally, movements, or "Marks of Contact," form the basis of lightsaber combat and are utilised across the board.

The six forms of lightsaber combat which existed during The Old Republic are as follows: